Okorocha: Is the ‘Lover of Statues’ the Right Man to Be Nigeria’s President in 2023?

The 2023 presidential election in Nigeria is highly likely to go down in history as the most dramatic of elections. The lineup of aspiring candidates is already very peculiar without mentioning how these individuals intend to compete among themselves. One of these individuals is Senator Rochas Okorocha, former Imo State Governor. Even among the gang of misfits, Okorocha has a corner all to himself.

The man who has been lovingly christened the ‘Captain of iberiberism’ recently declared his ambition to contest for the mantle of President Muhammadu Buhari under the aegis of the All Progressives Congress (APC). However, like the majority of his peers who have nailed their eyes to the same mantle, ‘Captain Okorocha,’ as he prefers to be called, has outstanding issues that need to be sorted out before heading to Aso Rock Villa to roost.

Perhaps the most glaring of these outstanding issues is his 17-count case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). From the reports on this front, Okorocha still has to explain to the anti-graft agency why there is a ghost of public funds with N2.9 billion written on its forehead following after him. The EFCC continues to insist that Okorocha stole the money from public funds while the man of statues—for he built statues during his time as Imo Governor—insists otherwise.

The intending Grand Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (GCFR) has claimed that he did not touch any public funds. He argued that being a State Governor impoverished him and that Imo State owes him N8 billion for security votes. Simple subtraction will show that N2.9 billion removed from N8 billion leaves enough for Okorocha to organize a presidential campaign anywhere in Africa. Shame that EFCC is not amused.

Regardless, even with the threat of jail time hanging over his head, Okorocha has more than enough cajones to register his name under the APC party flag for the presidential race. Is this the perfect man for the seat or what?